Hello and welcome to my first blog post! Before I dive into the endless (and I truly mean endless) travel tips that I have for you all, I wanted to first take a moment to introduce myself and share the story behind this blog.
I am a Greek American woman who lives in Chicago, Illinois. I was born and raised in the United States by a Greek immigrant father and a lovely (only Greek by heart) mother. And yes, if you’ve ever seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, then you already know, growing up EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE WAS GREEK! My siblings and I attended Greek school, went to Greek church, spent our summers in Greece, made Greek friends, foods, should I keep going??
In all honesty though, I wouldn’t change a second of it, because those experiences taught me the importance of community, morals, and values – competencies that are deeply rooted in both ancient Greek philosophy and modern Greek culture. Family along with integrity, honesty, respect, and hospitality are at the heart of the Greek society. These values continue to guide my actions, decisions, and relationships, forming the foundation of my identity that I strive to convey for you in this blog.
Crafting the Blog
I was fortunate enough to spend most of my summers in that heavenly country. Although I’m no longer able to spend 3+ months of my summer in Greece, I do still travel back there as often as I can. When I have the chance to visit, I structure my vacation like my family had done when I was a child; half of the time is spent visiting family and the other half is spent exploring new places/islands.
With age, my passion for the culture and my desire to immerse myself in Greek traditions has only grown stronger. When I finally decide on the new area that I want to travel to, I take time to research the destination to understand where I am headed. In my years of doing this research I have failed to come across a one-size-fits-all travel blog that feels authentic, like home. The blog is either written by someone who travels to hundreds of countries and only writes a small page about Greece or the information on the website feels out of date and unreliable.
The lightbulb idea of me starting a travel blog related solely to Greece didn’t come about until friends started reaching out to me, asking for travel tips/plans for their trips to Greece. I would answer each question with paragraphs of knowledge, recommendations, and experiences. It seemed that every time I would answer one friend, two more would text me in return. I started receiving text messages from friends of friends asking for my “insider travel tips”. I couldn’t believe how many people were travelling to Greece and wanted my travel guides!
So, here I am, writing the first blog post for my modernized, Greek inspired travel blog! A blog that is written by a Greek American who grew up exploring the vast country sides and exotic beaches.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. As fellow travelers, your questions and thoughts are always welcome! Feel free to message me with any inquiry, nothing is too small to ask.
Yours truly,
The Grecian Girl